The development core is essential to the success of this consortium. The main responsibilities of this core are to enhance the research capabilities of racial and ethnic minorities in oral health research, thereby developing and strengthening the minority oral health research infrastructure both at Howard University and at UMAB. Faculty from HU will be partnered with small research projects and pilot ventures to receive hands on experience in research. During this period HU and UMAB faculty will have the opportunity to participate in short didatic experiences that will help them in the designing of a project, and collecting and analyzing data. The goal of this short Development Grant is to develop these faculty so that they (HU and inexperienced UMAB faculty) will be able to prepare independent pilot projects that could be funded through the establishment of a Regional Research Center for Minority Oral Health (RRCMOH), or as one of the first grant awards from NIDR/NIH. Furthermore, this core will develop mechanisms whereby already highly successful researchers within the consortium will be made aware of the oral health of racial and ethnic minorities. This latter effort will be undertaken so as to redirect some of the efforts of premier scientists to conduct research to meet these health care needs. These goals will be realized through the accomplishment of six specific aims: 1. provide practical research experiences that will enhance the research capabilities and participation of racial and ethnic minorities in oral health research and strengthen the infrastructure of health care research at Howard University and UMAB; 2. develop a didatic program that will provide a foundation for practical research experiences; 3. institute a program in grantmanship to train individuals participating in aims 1 and 2 to prepare a successful grant application; 4. ensure that trainees participate in a program that stresses standards and codes of conduct in research; 5. ensure that minorities participating in research projects can contribute to the development of a seminar, poster or presentation at a national meeting; 6. develop and institute mechanisms whereby already successful researchers will become aware of the unaddressed health care requirements of racial and ethnic minorities so as to improve the oral health of U.S. racial and ethnic minorities.